This invention is directed to a process for making a cream cheese product which does not include a whey separation step and does not require fermentation. The invention also is directed to the cream cheese product made by the process of the invention.
Whey produced from cheese making (including cream cheese) limits productivity because it produces whey as a by-product. Whey has few uses and results in the loss of valuable protein for the cheese product. The production of whey can also create additional costs for waste treatment, even though whey contains food grade ingredients which have been separated from milk. The inability of whey proteins to be retained in cheese is an important factor contributing to a lack of efficiency in the production of cheese, including reductions in overall yield and increased costs. Although whey has sometimes been further processed to obtain food ingredients, the acid whey generated cream cheese product cannot normally be utilized in this manner. Further, traditional cheese making contemplates culturing and fermentation which takes time and space in the form of culturing tanks.
It would be desirable, therefore, to provide a process for making cream cheese in which whey is retained in the final product and which does not involve a fermentation step. The present invention provides such a process.
The invention produces cream cheese products without the separation of whey and without fermentation. The invention produces cream cheese products without curding or acidifying milk. The wheyless process of the invention permits the production of cream cheese products containing more than about 65 percent moisture with a high ratio of whey protein/casein (e.g., about 60/40 or higher) and with desirable firmness even without the addition of gum. The advantages of the invention include: (1) significant cream cheese yield increase; (2) no cost for the treatment of whey which is not produced in the invention; (3) more options for using raw materials; (4) no requirement for milk culturing tanks that will save capital cost and plant space; (5) a simplified process which permits a continuous operation with shorter processing periods; and (6) minimized syneresis of final products. Additionally, the invention provides cream cheese products with a greater nutritional quality because of a higher percentage of more readily available whey protein and potentially fewer calories from fat (i.e., low fat products).
Moreover, the invention does not produce processing waste from raw materials because the cheese product of the invention will retain almost all other soluble nutrients (especially those important soluble components in human milk).
The cream cheese products produced by the method of this invention generally have high moisture levels (e.g., greater than about 65 percent) and high ratios of whey protein to casein (e.g., about 60/40 or higher). More preferably, the moisture level is about 55 to about 70 percent and the whey protein/casein ratio is about 30/70 to about 90/10.
The present invention provides a process for making a wheyless cream cheese product, said process comprising: (1) mixing water and a dairy protein selected from the group consisting of whole milk protein, milk protein concentrate, whey protein concentrate and mixtures thereof to provide an aqueous dairy protein blend having at least about 4 percent protein; (2) homogenizing the aqueous dairy protein blend in a first homogenization step to provide an aqueous dairy protein emulsion; (3) heating the aqueous dairy protein emulsion to a temperature of at least about 150xc2x0 F. for at least about 5 minutes to provide a heated homogenized dairy emulsion; (4) adjusting the pH of the heated homogenized dairy emulsion to about 4 to about 6; and (5) homogenizing the pH-adjusted heated homogenized dairy emulsion in a second homogenization step at a pressure of at least about 2000 psi to provide the wheyless cream cheese product; wherein the process does not include a whey separation step or a fermentation step.
The present invention also provides a process for making a wheyless cream cheese product, said process comprising: (1) mixing water and a dairy protein selected from the group consisting of whole milk protein, milk protein concentrate, whey protein concentrate, and mixtures thereof to provide an aqueous dairy protein blend having at least about 4 percent protein; (2) homogenizing the aqueous dairy protein blend in a first homogenization step to provide an aqueous dairy protein emulsion; (3) heating the aqueous dairy protein emulsion to a temperature of at least about 150xc2x0 F. for at least about 5 minutes to provide a heated homogenized dairy emulsion; (4) adjusting the pH of the heated homogenized dairy emulsion to about 4 to about 6 either during or after step 3; (5) adding an additional material to either the aqueous dairy protein emulsion prior to step 3 and then completing steps 3 and 4 or adding the additional material to the heated aqueous protein blend from step 3 and then completing step 4 or adding the additional material to the pH-adjusted homogenized dairy emulsion from step 4 to provide an enhanced protein dairy blend, wherein the additional material is selected from the group consisting of milk protein, whey protein, edible fat, and mixtures thereof; (6) adding a stabilizer to the enhanced protein dairy blend; and (7) homogenizing the stabilizer-containing enhanced protein dairy blend in a second homogenization step at a pressure of at least about 2000 psi to provide the wheyless cream cheese product; wherein the process does not include a whey separation step or a fermentation step.
This invention also provides a wheyless cream cheese product prepared by a process comprising: (1) mixing water and a dairy protein selected from the group consisting of whole milk protein, milk protein concentrate, whey protein concentrate, and mixtures thereof to provide an aqueous dairy protein blend having at least about 4 percent protein; (2) homogenizing the aqueous dairy protein blend in a first homogenization step to provide an aqueous dairy protein emulsion; (3) heating the aqueous dairy protein emulsion to a temperature of at least about 150xc2x0 F. for at least about 5 minutes to provide a heated homogenized dairy emulsion; (4) adjusting the pH of the heated homogenized dairy emulsion to about 4 to about 6 either during or after step 3; (5) adding an additional material to either the aqueous dairy protein emulsion prior to step 3 and then completing steps 3 and 4 or adding the additional material to the heated aqueous protein blend from step 3 and then completing step 4 or adding the additional material to the pH-adjusted homogenized dairy emulsion from step 4 to provide an enhanced protein dairy blend, wherein the additional material is selected from the group consisting of milk protein, whey protein, edible fat, and mixtures thereof; (6) adding a stabilizer to the enhanced protein dairy blend; and (7) homogenizing the stabilizer-containing enhanced protein dairy blend in a second homogenization step at a pressure of at least about 2000 psi to provide the wheyless cream cheese product; wherein the process does not include a whey separation step or a fermentation step.